During the month of February, the Brentwood Fire & Rescue Department will be offering free cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) classes at the John P. Holt Brentwood Library. CPR is a lifesaving technique that is useful in many emergencies, including heart attack or near drowning, in which someone’s heart has stopped beating. Through November 2021, the Brentwood Fire and Rescue Department was dispatched to 23 calls where CPR was in progress. Fourteen of those needed CPR when crews arrived and of those, six people were saved and able to breathe on their own.
There will be four classes offered on the following dates: February 4, 11, 18 and 25. You must participate in only one class to learn these lifesaving skills. Each class will begin at 6:30 p.m., last approximately two hours, and is geared toward those ages 16 and up. Due to the ongoing and changing COVID pandemic, this year, class size will be limited to 10 people per class. Participants are also encouraged to wear masks, but it is not mandatory.
Each class will offer training on infant, child, and adult CPR. Participants will be taught “hands only” CPR (no mouth-to-mouth breathing). This class will utilize the American Heart Association’s “Friends & Family” curriculum; therefore, no CPR card will be issued. More information can be found on the AHA website at www.heart.org. For more information or to sign up, please contact firefighter Scott Barnes at scott.barnes@brentwoodtn.gov or call 371-2200 ext. 4523. You can also register online and see other events happening at the Brentwood Library by viewing the calendar.
In addition to CPR, an automated external defibrillator or AED is a portable device that is used to quickly shock someone’s heart and try to save their life if they collapse, have no pulse, and stop breathing. This condition is known as sudden cardiac arrest. AEDs are not a substitute for CPR as anyone trained to operate an AED must also be trained in CPR, since early CPR is a critical step in resuscitation to help reestablish the circulation of blood and the delivery of oxygen to the body. You can learn more from Brentwood Firefighter and Lt. Mike McCutcheon about how this device can help save lives in this YouTube video.
